If You Could Read My Mind
by NightcatMau
Summary: Skulduggery knows Valkyrie doesn't love him and plans to leave Ireland. Valkyrie just wants the pain of loving him when he doesn't love her to go away. Very sad one-shot. Valduggery.


A/N: I don't own Skulduggery, Ghastly, or Valkyrie. 'If You Could Read my Mind' is a song by Gordon Lightfoot. Valkyrie is 17 here. Sorry about the story, but as the saying goes, I has a sad.

* * *

The Skeleton Detective sat in the Bentley, staring out the rain streaked windscreen into the night. Somewhere, what he had in place of a heart was breaking. The radio was playing softly, a song he'd never heard before "If You Could Read My Mind' he assumed the title was.

He hadn't seen Valkyrie for two weeks. He'd been foolish enough to say something to her at last. She was seventeen after all, old enough to marry, though he had not said what he did to her meaning them specifically. He wouldn't dare. He'd only said it in a teasing way.

She'd spat back at him that he was a horrid man if she ever thought she'd marry anyone, let alone someone over four hundred. She'd told him she didn't want to see him after that. He didn't know why, had assumed she thought it was only a joke, but she'd said she didn't want to see him ever.

So now he sat here, the lyrics tearing what was left of him into pieces. He felt like he was a ghost trapped in a well, chained and waiting for the woman who would never see him as a man. Invisible to her. It wrenched at his soul, drew a small cry of pain from him. Couldn't they could at least be partners again? No, she'd blocked his calls, even left the Sanctuary.

He wished he could cry, tears would help release the pain. Trembling, he put the Bentley into drive. There was nothing else to do, he'd have to leave Ireland. Because he knew if he were here he'd only go to her again, and clearly she didn't want him to. It would only make things worse, telling her that he loved her.

* * *

Across town, Valkyrie lay on the bed, listening to the radio. For two weeks she'd hardly slept or eaten. Ever since Skulduggery had said what he did about how lucky she'd be if she ever got married, how she'd have to try for a man hundreds of years old. Maybe then, he'd said, she'd get lucky and he'd marry her out of desperation.

She'd raged at him, demanding he drive her home. Told him how horrid and terrible he was. He'd been strangely silent, as if her words had hurt him, and she had savagely hoped at the time they had. Now she just wished the pain would go away. One of her favorite songs came on the radio "If You Could Read My Mind' and she burst into fresh tears, rocking back and forth in her agony.

How couldn't he love her? How couldn't he see she loved him? Even since she had turned seventeen she'd been hoping he'd say something, anything about loving her. No, he had let her know with one of his sarcastic remarks what he thought of her love. He'd just never know about it.

She felt like a ghost, like worse than one. At least a ghost was romantic. Skulduggery would never see her that way, in fact she was sure he'd be happy if she were trapped in a well. The song continued and she curled into herself, wishing for all the world they were at least partners again.

* * *

Valkyrie's mobile rang. It was Ghastly.

"Yes." Her voice was thick with tears. She heard Ghastly gasp softly. "Sorry, I must sound terrible." She tried for a shaky laugh. What was it they called brave women who wanted to cry but wouldn't in old movies? Dollfaces. that's right. She had to be a dollface now.

"I'm OK, Ghastly, what is it?"

"I want you at the Sanctuary, now, no questions. Get a taxi and just come."

"What is it? Did something happen to Skulduggery?"

"No, but he's on his way here as well. Just come, Valkyrie."

She agreed and rang off, wondering what they could possibly want her at the Sanctuary for.

* * *

Twenty minutes later and she had washed her face, slapping her checks and pinching them to get her colour up. She'd also dug into her makeup bag, covering up the circles under her eyes and masking her washed out complexion. By the time she applied the last bit of powder she looked normal. She'd gotten into the taxi, grateful the driver didn't want to make conversation.

The only voice she wanted to hear right now was Skulduggery's and she wished more than anything she was with him in the Bentley.

* * *

Skulduggery held the wheel of the Bentley tightly as he drove towards the Sanctuary. How badly he wanted Valkyrie to be in the seat next to him. He didn't even know why he was going, except maybe to make his goodbyes to Ghastly.

No, he told himself. He was hoping against hope to see her one more time. That by some miracle she would be there waiting for him.

* * *

Valkyrie entered Ghastly's office. His eyes were blazing. Skulduggery was there, but she didn't have the heart to talk to him. He wasn't even looking at her anyhow. He'd turned from her the moment she entered, causing her new pain.

Ghastly looked at them both. "Both of you, sit down now!" Valkyrie meekly did as she was told. Nobody wanted Ghastly mad at them, apparently not even Skulduggery.

His shoulders had sagged at the command and now he sat with his head hanging. She wanted in the worst way to reach out and hold his hand, but she didn't dare touch him. She was fairly sure she'd cry again if she did.

Ghastly for his part, was just getting the lecture started. "You are the two worst detectives this Sanctuary has ever seen! In two weeks time one of you quits and the other becomes a complete basket case. I ought to fire both of you for insubordination."

"You both appear to think you can waltz in and out of here on a whim, well you can't. Whatever it is that is going on between the two of you I wanted it fixed and I wanted it fixed now! I will not tolerate this behavior any longer, do both of you get that? Tell each other what's wrong now, and fix it!"

Valkyrie craned her head towards Skulduggery. Telling him in front of Ghastly and having a witness would only be worse. But what choice did she have?

"I'm sorry." She managed. He looked like she'd hit him. Wincing, she continued. "I know you didn't mean anything, by what you said, but I took it like you did. Because you're right, I would be lucky if a man that age agreed to marry me, even if it was in desperation. Especially if I was in love with him."

Valkyrie hung her head in shame. She was trying very hard not to cry in front of them both. Skulduggery made a gasping sound, and she dared to look up at him.

"Valkyrie. I would never intentionally hurt you, not ever. I'm so terribly, terribly sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you I was, just teasing you, because it was better than telling you that a man that age could be in love with you."

They both looked away, too afraid of rejection to state the obvious, to tell the full truth. Ghastly gave a groan and they both looked at him.

"You ARE the two worst detectives this Sanctuary has even seen. Neither of you could tell your partner is in love with you? God, you're both thick. Get out of my office, both of you. I don't want to see or hear from either one of you for at least two weeks."

Valkyrie stood shakily and brought a hand to her mouth to cover up a strangled laugh. She looked to Skulduggery, and he held his arms out to her. She ran to him then. He pulled her close. She shook as he held her, but they did eventually make it to the Bentley.

* * *

The sat there, looking out the windscreen into the night. Skulduggery looked over at her. "You do love, me, you're sure?" He asked. She nodded, gulping back tears.

"Do you love me?" He voice was small, but it spoke volumes.

"Oh Valkyrie, I want to marry you."

They drove home in silence, both hoping they would never be the ghost the other couldn't see ever again.

* * *

**Sorry, I know that was depressing. This is why I shouldn't write sad stories, to be honest.**


End file.
